I'll Be Waiting
by NeuroticBanana
Summary: Lightning ends up in a rather unexpected situation when she finds herself in a steamy bathhouse with only Caius to keep her company. Confessions and honest answers can only await, plus rosy bathwater! One-shot of pretty much fluff and a little bit of intrigue.


**A/N: **This is a little one shot I came up with for the Cairai week that's going on. This is day one and the theme was Dreams, so hopefully this works well with that. Anyway, it's mostly just for fun. Hope everyone reads and enjoys! :)

Disclaimer: I do not own any of Square Enix's characters or creations.

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><p>I'll Be Waiting<p>

Lightning couldn't remember how she'd arrived at the strange building she was in. She felt fairly certain she'd never been in such a place before. A place with marble walls and floors and an abundance of gold cherub statues, she felt certain she'd remember…but try as she might, no recollection of her current surroundings came to her.

It was steamy and the air carried just a hint of roses with it. The scent of roses was faintly comforting to Lightning, as it reminded her of the countless times she'd summoned Odin in the past. Despite that comfort factor though, Lightning felt certain that Odin had nothing to do with the strange building she'd found herself in.

In addition to the steamy air, the lighting was dim and made it tough to make out anything other than the sticking marble walls. Lightning was aware of the fact that she was dressed in a rather revealing, curve accentuating bikini. The bikini alarmed her in more ways than one; it was incredibly reminiscent of the schemata she had worn during her struggles in the old world. That thought alone filled her with a sense of cold dread. Perhaps the once powerful god had managed to rise again and had somehow sought her out and had intentions of trying to take control of her again.

Lightning struggled to banish those thoughts…all that was unlikely, wasn't it? The world of old with its crystals and chaos was long gone. Hardly anything from that former world remained and if it did, it was almost certainly safely housed in the Unseen Realm.

A deep, purring chuckle cut through the silence and mist that surrounded Lightning, immediately tearing her from her thoughts. It had come from somewhere ahead of her, farther into the steamy, rose scented environment…

Hesitantly, Lightning began moving forward past more marbled walls and golden cherubs. Something about that chuckle was intimately familiar to her, as if she'd heard it a thousand times before and knew it as well as her own voice.

Moving deeper into the marbled hall before her, Lightning came to a large pink tinted glass door. The steam was so abundant behind the door that she couldn't make out what lay beyond. Somehow though, she knew that the owner of that laugh was behind the glass door.

As her hand closed over the golden door handle, Lightning briefly hesitated. Again she had to ask herself, how had she gotten here; _why _was she here? Her fingers seemed to twitch as they remained in contact with the golden handle, as if they were begging her to pull it open.

Before Lightning could think further about her current situation, she felt her arm of its own accord, pull the door open to the mysteries that lay beyond. A blanket of steam washed over her and obscured her vision completely. Lightning felt a bit of panic sweep through her when all she could see was a blanket of white, but felt immediate relief as the steam began to subside and she could see clearly again.

Lightning now stood in what appeared to be a very large bathhouse. Marbled steps stood before her and led to a massive pool filled with pink bathwater that appeared to have hundreds of floating red rose petals on its surface. In the center of the pool, stood a rather large marble pillar that had a gigantic golden bull on top of it. More pink bathwater cascaded down the sides of the marble pillar and past the golden bull. It created a rather impressive looking pink waterfall that filled the pink rose bathwater before her.

The scene was like something she'd only ever seen in books of legend and myth that depicted erotic sexcapades by gods and goddesses. It was so over the top and decadent, that Lightning almost missed the figure that sat at the marble pillars base. However, when her eyes did finally take him in, they widened with disbelief.

At the center of the pillar, somehow avoiding the spray of pink waterfalls, sat Caius Ballad. He sat luxuriously in the rose colored water, one knee protruding from the depths, the other hidden in the watery depths. One arm rested on the knee breaking the water's surface, while his opposite arm rested casually at his side. His violet hair hung just as Lightning remembered it with beads, feathers and headband to boot. The amethyst eyes that she knew so well were currently closed, and the lips she'd unknowingly committed to memory, twitched with a smirk.

However, what shocked Lightning the most, wasn't the appearance of him, but was the fact that he was completely shirtless. The exposed knee was also bare making her wonder if _all _of him was currently clothed in his birthday suit. He seemed perfectly at ease in the pink bathwater, although he had _always _come off that way, as if nothing could possibly budge his confidence. It had been a trait that had irritated Lightning, though secretly she had envied it.

The amethyst eyes slowly opened to a slit and made contact with Lightning's curious blues. When Lightning's gaze locked with Caius's hooded eyes, she immediately averted her eyes and felt a blush rise to her pale cheeks. She didn't exactly want to get caught gawking at the former warrior of Valhalla. Although some part of her had always been naughtily curious about what exactly he looked like _without _his armor.

With that thought in mind, despite her best efforts Lightning couldn't help her gaze drifting from the floor and to the broad expanse of his chest. Ripples of muscle caught her eye making her silently appreciate his impressive physique.

"Did something catch your eye Savior?" Caius mocked, breaking Lightning out of her ogling.

Another embarrassed blush rose to her cheeks and she immediately tore her gaze from his chest and met his stare. She'd expected it to be the one she'd seen so often in Valhalla, the stare that almost always held contempt and hostility, but was surprised to see that his eyes revealed only amusement. The expression was rather foreign to her; she was so accustomed to seeing fury etched into his features that the softness of his face currently made her realize just how handsome he actually was…

Lightning felt herself recoil from such a thought. Caius Ballad wasn't handsome, he was vile, or at least he was supposed to be. Only after he'd succeeded in pouring chaos in the former world and been forcibly tied to life by Yeul, had he been able to see the repercussions of his actions. Lightning had felt pity and sorrow at having to leave him behind in the Unseen Realm when the new world had begun, but in many ways he'd deserved such a fate…or so she'd tried to convince herself dozens of times.

But what was he doing here and now? And _why _was she here?!

"Don't call me that; I'm not the Savior anymore," Lightning snapped. Caius's smirk broadened into a devious smile at her response.

"Indeed you are not…just as I am no longer a guardian," Caius said cryptically.

Lightning raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean you're not a guardian? You help the souls of the dead find final rest or find rebirth in the Unseen Realm and you continue to act as guardian to your precious Yeuls."

"Do I detect a note of jealousy?" Caius taunted. Lightning opened her mouth to snap out something biting, but stopped dead when she saw Caius's eyes briefly wander over her rather exposed body.

Feeling an odd combination of pleasure and embarrassment at his appreciative gaze, Lightning swiftly crossed her arms over her breasts to hide them as best she could. She didn't know why Caius even bothered to stare at her; he'd proven himself uninterested in anything as frivolous as romance or friendship multiple times. He had always come across as asexual while at the same time projecting a large degree of sensuality…they were dueling qualities that Lightning had always been perplexed by.

"No you don't," Lightning bit out and gave him her best death glare. Much to her irritation, the devious smile on his lips only widened. "Answer my question."

"In this place I am not a guardian, not a guide to the souls who seek rebirth or eternal rest…I am simply myself; I am Caius Ballad."

Lightning frowned at his words. It didn't really answer her questions; instead it'd just managed to make more form in her mind.

"Okay…then what is this place?" Lightning ventured, a frown beginning to form on her face.

Caius was silent.

Lightning felt her annoyance grow and somehow found herself moving down the marbled steps and into the enticing pink bathwater. She felt the need to get in his face to antagonize him the way she felt he was antagonizing her. The moment the water touched her feet and ankles she stopped, shocked by the warmth of the water but also alarmed by her blundering into the water to get closer to Caius. Did she really need to be close to him to continue to have a discussion with him? It seemed much safer to have talk with someone as dangerous as Caius Ballad on higher ground. Somehow being in the water with him made Lightning feel vulnerable, as if he were a river snake that moved much more freely and comfortably in the water than she did; a snake that was just waiting to strike.

"What kind of game are you playing?" Lightning demanded and felt herself move further into the water despite her best intentions to stay where she was. The rose colored water rose to her shins, leaving tiny red rose petals clinging to her ivory skin.

Caius shifted, his predatory gaze locked onto Lightning's. She wasn't sure she liked what she saw there.

"I'm not playing a game, Lightning," Caius replied all teasing gone from his voice. Lightning felt a chill run down her spine at hearing her name spoken by Caius. It was the first time he'd _ever _spoken it aloud. Something about hearing that deep, velvety voice say her name filled her stomach with butterflies. The sensation both excited and alarmed her.

Desperate to gain some understanding of her current situation Lightning asked, "Then what is this place? And why are _you _even her?"

Without taking even a second to think about her question Caius responded, "I came here to see you."

Lightning felt her crossed arms fall to her sides and her mouth fall open in shock. Never in her very long life had she _ever _thought she'd hear Caius Ballad, her mortal enemy, say something like _that _to her. While his statement made her wary, it also awoke something that had been slumbering and unknown to her since the first moment she'd met him; desire.

"What?" It was the only thing Lightning managed to say in response as her head swam with confusion.

"You heard me," Caius replied. In the silence that followed his response, Caius smirked again and gestured to his side. "Come sit next to me and I'll explain."

Without thinking, Lightning took two steps forward feeling the water rise to her knees before she stopped herself. While some part of her desperately wanted to follow his suggestion, another part of her felt like sitting next to Caius was comparable to sitting next to a large, poisonous spider. It defied all logic to willingly move closer to him; he was dangerous and unpredictable.

"No…this is all some game you're playing with me; some way to catch me off guard so you can attack me," Lightning reasoned.

To her surprise, Caius laughed at her theory. It wasn't the laugh that she had grown accustomed to when they'd been in Valhalla and he'd laughed with bitterness; it was a carefree laugh, one that held only amusement.

"Why would I want that when I have already claimed victory from you once? As you said, I am the light to the souls in the Unseen Realm…I no longer seek destruction."

"Then what is it you _seek_?" Lightning demanded with a sneer. She refused to believe that the once incredibly formidable Caius Ballad no longer posed any threat.

"I told you before," Caius said simply.

"You said you came here to see me; that's not the same."

"Isn't it? Don't you see Lightning, I came here to see you; I seek _you._"

Lightning could only stare. The smirk that he'd previous had was gone and all she could see now was naked truth carved into his expression. She didn't want to believe him, everything she'd learned about him screamed danger and treachery…but here he was, claiming he was no threat to her or anyone else and that he was here for _her. _Something like that couldn't be true, could it?

"Why?" Lightning asked and moved a little closer to him. Warm water lapped at her knees as Lightning knelt down in front of Caius, putting them on equal ground.

"Time does strange things to everything that exists and I am no exception. The long years I rotted away in the ruined temple made me see and feel things that I refused to acknowledge when you and I fought for an eternity in Valhalla. As a guide to the souls of the dead and as Yeul's eternal companion, I have only become more aware of these long ignored feelings," Caius explained. Despite the explanation however, Lightning felt slightly annoyed at the cryptic nature of it.

"What exactly are you saying Caius?" Lightning asked softly.

"I have watched time flow for over a millennia and I will be cursed to watch it flow for eternity, all the while knowing I can never interact with it as I once did. In all my years of existing I had only eyes for Yeul and her salvation; I rejected everything else that crossed my path. That is, until you forced my ancient heart to beat with a fury and drive I had almost forgotten. In my desperate desire to carry out my plans for oblivion, I completely ignored the passion you ignited within me. Only in my forced existence by Yeul did I have time to examine these feelings and acknowledge them. However, I did not fully understand them until I permanently joined Yeul in the Unseen Realm. It was madness and sorrow that drove me to destroy Etro but behind all that was a _fondness _that I developed for _you_."

Lightning opened her mouth to speak but words failed to form. Was this really happening; the legendary warrior admitting that he was fond of _her_, his sworn enemy?

"You are fond of me?" Lightning repeated and stared wide eyed at him.

"More than fond, actually," Caius admitted and the smirk that he'd had earlier, reappeared although this time there was an element of boyish shyness to it.

"You care about me?" She questioned and moved a fraction closer to him.

"That is why I'm here."

Lightning stared, unsure of what to say. How did she feel about him? She wasn't exactly sure…when they'd fought in Valhalla there'd been many times when she was sure she'd hated him, but other times when she'd pitied him. Lightning had felt frustration at his refusal to let her save him during the last thirteen days, and at the very end when he had willingly sacrificed himself to the Unseen Realm she'd felt sorrow for his loss. There had been several times in her new life when she'd wondered about him and the choice he'd made. Whenever she had these thoughts, they were always tainted with an edge of bitterness and sorrow. Lightning _regretted _being unable to save him, but knew that there was nothing she could've done differently. Yet still, she lamented his loss…

"I don't know what to say," Lightning murmured and lowered her eyes. Her mind was awash with possibilities and questions.

"You do not need to say anything, just sit with me," Caius said softly and extended a hand toward her.

Lightning stared at it and felt conflicting emotions war within her. What would it mean to take his hand? Would her life change in some dramatic way or would nothing change at all?

Slowly Lightning extended her own hand toward his. She felt a brief moment of shame as she saw a visible tremor in her hand as it made contact with Caius's. The tremor vanished instantly when Caius's large hand closed over her own and pulled her to him. To her surprise, she didn't fight him when he tugged her forward. He pulled her close to his chest, his other hand wrapping around the back of her neck and nestling in her rosy hair. Lightning found it strangely comforting resting against his broad chest. She was so lost in the moment that she didn't even think about the fact that he was very likely nude under the water.

"I think I might care about you too," she whispered so quietly she thought he might not even hear it. She almost hoped he wouldn't.

A low chuckle rumbled from his chest, vibrating against Lightning's cheek. Of course he'd heard it.

After a few blissful minutes of resting comfortably against Caius's chest, Lighting pulled back to look him in the eyes. She was mildly alarmed at how close she was to his face. Their lips and noses were mere inches apart.

"How are you here?" Lightning questioned in a whisper. Caius's hands moved to cup her cheeks and forced her to stare into the endlessly deep amethyst eyes.

"In the only way I can be, but that doesn't matter…you can stay with me if you desire it," he said softly and gently pulled her face closer to his, nearly bumping their noses together.

"That can't be possible," she murmured and closed her eyes as Caius's mouth drew painfully close to her own. "This can't be real…I must be dreaming."

"Would it be so bad if you were? Being in a dream that told you there was more waiting for you in the Unseen Realm?" Caius breathed and gently pressed his lips against Lighting's rose bud shaped mouth.

Something in the kiss made her blood ignite with a fire she'd never felt before. She found her hands raise up to entwine in Caius's long silky locks, pulling him closer. Caius's pulled her tight against him and briefly traced her lower lip with the tip of his tongue. Lightning felt like her head might explode as Caius's hands grew bolder and traced down her sides and along the curves of her hips.

Lightning abruptly pulled away and stared at him. She saw a fire in his eyes that she'd never known before, and then she knew it, she _was _dreaming.

"I'm dreaming," she whispered and suddenly felt like she was going to fall through the floor.

"You are," Caius agreed and released her. Lightning struggled to reach out for him, to stop her fall through the floor, but couldn't.

"It was all a dream," she called out as more and more distance separated her from Caius.

"It was, but now you know what's waiting for you on the other side," Caius said and Lightning saw his telltale smirk.

"Caius wai—" Lightning began but was suddenly overcome with a blanket of darkness. The strange pink bathhouse evaporated, taking Caius with it.

She struggled in the darkness to find it but couldn't. Something heavy was covering her body and face, smothering her. Lightning struggled against it, thrashing wildly about, desperate to return to the world of pink bathwater and roses…and Caius.

Abruptly the blackness turned to light, and bright white light shined painfully into her eyes. Lightning squeezed her eyes shut and turned away from it, only to feel a warm and gentle hand caress her cheek. The touch was comforting and oddly familiar…

"It was just a bad dream Light; it's okay," murmured a soothing and comforting voice.

The rapid beating of her heart slowed as she took in the voices words. Yes, it was all just a dream and everything was okay. The calming voice made a few more soothing sounds and brushed a few stray hands of hair out of her eyes.

"It's okay, just go back to sleep Light," cooed the voice. Lightning was almost lulled back to sleep but wanted to reply to that oddly familiar voice…

"Thank you, Hope," Lightning murmured and then realized what she'd said and felt her eyes snap open, forgetting the painful sting of bright light.

She turned her face around to see Hope's sweet, peaceful green eyes staring lovingly down at her. And then she remembered; she was with Hope in this new world and frequently had nightmares about their former life on a former world…but she'd never before had a dream with Caius in it, let alone one that invoked strong, highly romantic feelings from her.

With a degree of horror and guilt Lightning tried to push the dream from her mind, but couldn't. Caius's words about waiting for her on the other side, filled both her mind and ears, as if he were in the room with both she and Hope reminding her that there was another path for her to choose.

Lightning sat up in bed and wrapped her arms around Hope's sleepy form. She hugged a little too tight, but Hope tolerated it and chuckled at her rather aggressive display of affection. Lightning couldn't help but take in the differences between Hope's sweet sounding chuckle and Caius's powerful and almost sultry chuckle. How different they were…

Inwardly, Lightning cursed herself for thinking of him while she clung to Hope like a lifeline. Why did she have that dream, and did it even have any bearing? Had Caius really managed to visit one of her dreams or was it just some strange twisted dream? She'd never know…or would she?

"It was just a dream…you're right, just a dream," Lightning murmured into Hope's neck as she tucked her face into him.

"That's right; you're okay; we're okay. Let's just go back to sleep," Hope soothed while patting Lightning's back.

Despite the sleepiness Lightning felt, she didn't want to go to sleep for fear of dreaming of Caius again and the feelings unearth the feelings she had apparently managed to bury.

"It was just a dream," Lightning murmured again hoping that saying it aloud would make it true.

But somewhere, off in a distant world of chaos and souls seeking an end, she knew Caius was watching and waiting. He'd be watching her with those beautiful yet terrifying violet eyes. She knew what he'd be saying too.

"I'll be waiting on the other side."


End file.
